The 5 steps to identify your sales funnel… This is the starting point of a more profitable business!

I frequently assert that your sales funnel is the most important asset in your business. It’s the structure around which you build your business, it’s the pathway that prospective buyers follow on their way to giving you money, and it’s a strategic tool you can use to grow your business.

The starting point for you to master your sales funnel and take control of your business is to draw out your sales funnel. Draw it out, add notes to yourself, and the document becomes the useful tool you can refer to daily in your business to help you make decisions and work on your business.

Here’s how to draw out your sales funnel…

1. IDENTIFY YOUR TARGET MARKET

You need a narrowly defined target market — one that is large enough to to market to, has enough money to pay you for your product or service, but small enough that you can establish yourself as an expert. (Note: “Everyone” is NOT your target market). Take some time to research your target market and learn about them. When researching, dig beyond the point where your target market’s needs intersect with your solution. Learn everything you can about your target market and you’ll uncover new ways to market to them and new opportunities to add value. To get you started, use this tool I created: 55 questions to answer when defining your sales funnel’s target market.

2. IDENTIFY YOUR TARGET MARKET’S MINDSETS

People buy a product or service to solve a problem or fulfill a need. They never rush out and buy the very first solution the millisecond they discover their problem or need. There’s a progression in their thinking:

At first they discover their problem or need.

Then they realize they have to do something about it.

Then they seek out some solutions.

Then they weigh those their solution options.

Then they decide whether the solutions are worth the cost.

Then they buy.

Those steps I’ve just outlined are an over-simplification of the “evolution of mindsets” that people go through before buying from you. For small purchases (like an impulse item in a grocery store check-out line), these evolutions are measured in seconds. For major purchases (like a house), these evolutions are measured in weeks, months, or sometimes even years. After researching your target market, write out the mindset evolutions that they are most likely going through. (Use the list above as a starting point but then make adjustments according to your knowledge of your target market).

3. OUTLINE THE ACTIVITIES

Once you know what your target market is thinking on their way to buying from you, you can craft marketing and sales messages around those thought processes with the goal of moving them from one step to the next. Activities are comprised of two things: The message you want to communicate and the action you want your target market to take.

Pro tip: Don’t try to get your target market to move from their current mindset to the point of sale. Just get them to move to the next mindset in their mindset evolution.

4. DEPLOY TO CHANNELS

Once you know who your target market is, you know where they like to spend their time and attention. Once you know what mindsets they have, you know what it takes to sell to them. Now you can use this information to put your sales funnel to work. Create marketing and sales messages (see Outline the Activities, above), and then put those messages in the channels (media) where your target market will notice them.

5. ADD PAYGATES AND DELIVERY

Your entire sales funnel “points” to a sale. And that can look very different from one business to another. Some businesses charge up-front and then deliver the product or service; some businesses deliver first and then charge. And there are other paygate/delivery configurations as well. (Check out my blog post Sales funnel paygates for more information and for a list of other blog posts on this topic). Select a paygate and delivery model that will encourage the most purchases from your customers but will also ensure consistent cash flow and manageable accounts receivables for you.

A FEW CLOSING THOUGHTS

This really simple step-by-step method to crafting your sales funnel is useful for new and existing businesses that need to optimize performance and improve profitability. It’s also just a starting point. Check out some of my other blog posts about sales funnels.